Money Talks: Exploring Women's Relationship with Money - Featuring: Ann Linton

At DyMynd we focus on a woman’s relationship with money to break down the barrier for financial empowerment. Money has culturally been a taboo subject and we have found that women are told not to talk about it in public. This leads women to feel uncomfortable about their finances and uneasy to share their stories and experiences.

This year it is important that we breakdown these barriers so that we can all rise and stand together. DyMynd wants to bust the myth that “money isn’t for women” and help women forge new relationships with their money messages and experiences.

In honor of Women’s Month, we have asked leading women to answer a few questions about their experiences with money. Today we are featuring Ann Linton, Relationship Manager at ECS Global Inc., to share insights into her relationship with money. We invite you to read her responses and hope you get inspired and empowered to strengthen your own financial relationships.

What were your first experiences with money?

My first experience was being around 6 years old and going to open my first savings/ passport account at the bank. It was so empowering to go and deposit money and see my stamped bankbook of money accumulating. The next memory was getting my first charge card and checkbook, which was a new thing in ” those days”. The charge aspect was amazing in my late teens but I was not good on paying it off and the interest charges hurt! I am not good with charge cards still and wish I had been better at budgeting.

What were the key messages around money that your family instilled in you?

My family taught me to save, be responsible, pay my bills and keep a good checkbook and ledger of what I paid, and be aware how much money was left. When I was young, we had a weekly family meeting and talked over expenses and budgets for some time. Also my dad went thru two job layoffs and we were cost conscious by using coupons and saving where we could.

What is your current relationship with money like?

Now I am in a better place, I sold my condo and made money, am paying less for rent and saving more. I paid off some bills and am working on getting the credit cards to zero. I still have credit card debt and am not at a place to pay it off each month. However, I have done balance transfers to get low interest rates and fees. I also do not use those two cards, and am paying twice the minimum down to get it to zero. I want to be debt free and put more in my IRA in the next 3-5 years or sooner.